Red, White & Blue Firecracker Pasta Salad
We fully recognize that pasta should probably never be dyed blue, with one exception – patriotism food! The 4th of July is all about the red, white & blue and we are whipping up recipes that celebrate just that!
This pasta salad is incredibly simple, even for the beginners. A simply, tasty pasta salad everyone will love, with some fun twists… like blue pasta and some firecracker sauce (also known as “sriracha”).
Delight the masses with a pasta that will stand out while you celebrate!
Ingredients
- 1 box (454gr) farfalle/bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, bite sized
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 cup canned white beans (cannellini or kidney), drained & rinsed
- 1/2 bottle Italian salad dressing
- 1/2 cup mini sliced chorizo or pepperoni
- Sriracha, to taste
- 10-20+ drops blue food coloring
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large ziploc bag
Method
- With your pre-cooked pasta bowties, remove about 1/2 of them, and place into a ziploc bag. Add in about 20 drops of blue food coloring, seal and shake until the color is well distributed.
- Add the blue pasta back into the uncolored "white" pasta, and begin to add the rest of your ingredients - onion, beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, chorizo/pepperoni, italian salad dressing & sriracha sauce.
- Lightly toss until everything is well coated. The dye CAN run if you over-mix, so try to avoid this the best you can.
- Set aside in your refrigerator until you are ready to serve! Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if you choose.
